The Official Blog of Bobs and Lolo

We wanted to post a brief note to wish all of you a happy belated Canada Day and share some stories from our festive July 1st adventures before we dive into our run of shows at the Calgary Stampede. 

We’re writing this from a cozy basement in the home of our fabulous Calgary host family – the Tait’s! It is crazy to reflect back on how much happened yesterday and to think that less than 24 hours ago, we were just stepping onto a stage in Coquitlam, BC.

Our Canada Day festivities began in partnership with the City of Coquitlam during the first annual family celebration at Lafarge Lake. This fantastic event was capped by sunny skies, a fabulous team of staff and volunteers and hundreds of kids, adults and entire families sporting their patriotic reds and whites! Special thanks to all the kids and the super-talented Currie “Chuckles” Creelman (piano) and Mario “Marstar” Vaira (guitar) for helping us rock the show! Sadly, we didn’t get any photos from the performance, but if anyone out there is willing to share, please send pics to fanmail@bobsandlolo.com or post them on our Facebook Group.

Immediately following our performance in Coquitlam, we motored over to Kitsilano in Vancouver to set-up for a performance on the Showboat Stage. Set against the beautiful backdrop of Vancouver’s English Bay and the North Shore mountains, this was definitely one of the most picturesque venues we have performed in…and one of the windiest! The Kits Showboat Stage is managed completely by volunteers, and presents live entertainment weekly throughout the summer months. Our thanks to the families that joined us to kick-off the Canada Day entertainment and extra hugs to the kids for retrieving all of our wayward props that blew away in the refreshing ocean “breeze”.

If two shows in two cities in one 4 hour period wasn’t already enough craziness for Canada Day, scheduling a flight to Calgary right after the second performance definitely put the icing on the cake! It was a bit of a mad scramble to re-organize our stuff to prepare for the flight. Vancouver-ites may have even spotted us on the side of the road after our Kits show, although you may have easily mistaken our organizational strategy as a set-up for a sidewalk “garage” sale!

Thanks to a wonderful chauffeur (yaaaa Mario!) and a sweet airport limo (1974 volkswagon van!), we made it on time, with all of our luggage, to YVR.

Our next hurdle was checking in all of our gear – $350 in extra baggage fees this time around (ouch!) – and getting it through security. We had a fifteen minute hang-up when the metal-hinged tree stand Lolo decided to carry on flagged a security check. It caused quite a flurry of excitement for the security officials who put the bag through the x-ray three times over, unpacked everything and then stared in confusion at the brightly coloured green, collapsible stand.  Only in the B&L world…

We’re now settling in nicely in Calgary, and we are just about to head over to Stampede Park for sound check and final preparations for tonight’s first show. We’ll be around town until July 13th with 35 shows scheduled for the next 10 days! If you’re in the neighbourhood, please join us for some cow-town inspired musical adventures! For a full list of our Stampede performance times and dates, please click here.

Yeehaw!

Bobs & Lolo

Vancouver-based children’s entertainers, Bobs & Lolo, take their award-winning music on the road for a run of 35 shows at one of Canada’s largest outdoor events!

Bobs & Lolo will hit the stage daily at this year’s world-renowned Calgary Stampede. With a well-established fan base in their home province of BC and growing national adoration, Robyn Hardy (Bobs) and Lorraine Pond (Lolo) are looking forward to sharing their live programming with families in Alberta next month. Their extensive touring to date, plus regular spots on the national children’s network, Treehouse TV, is sure to have preschoolers, with parents in tow, lining up for a chance to see the live show.

What do the performers have to say?

Bobs: “We’re super excited to perform at the Calgary Stampede! We’ve had such a great year already with our recent Parents’ Choice Gold Award and the whole Treehouse thing…getting such a large contract with the Stampede really validates how far we’ve come in the last few years. It’s crazy to think that less than two years ago, we were still doing 3-4 birthday parties each weekend!”

Lolo: “Yeehaw! I can’t wait to unleash my inner cowgirl! We’re looking forward to all of the fun that goes along with sharing in a big event like this, although I think the main focus for Bobs and I will be staying healthy and rested so that we can survive performing 3+ shows per day for 10 days straight!”

Bobs & Lolo will be performing on the Buckaroos Stage at the Calgary Stampede from July 3 – 12 with shows daily at 2pm, 5pm & 7pm. Additional shows are scheduled for July 4, 5, 8, 11 & 12 at 11am. All Bobs & Lolo shows are FREE with general admission to Stampede Park.

To learn more about the Calgary Stampede, please visit www.calgarystampede.com.

Bobs & Lolo use music, movement and make-believe to share stories and experiences that both entertain and educate, while ultimately teaching children to care about themselves, their neighbours and the planet. Their programming places an emphasis on celebrating the values of healthy-living and aims to inspire young audiences with an awareness and appreciation for the world around them. Catch Bobs & Lolo live this summer (event calendar) or watch for their regular appearances on the national children’s television network, Treehouse TV.

For more information about Bobs & Lolo, please visit www.bobsandlolo.com.

We really had the best of intentions to blog sooner than this - truly. The last few weeks have flown by in a blur of festival craziness that we affectionately refer to as the Tour Time Warp. Do you ever have those moments where you have no idea what the date is and when you get a chance to look at a calendar you’re honestly surprised to learn that it is actually at least a week later than you thought?? We are sitting here now in a state of shock over the fact that it is June 18th today!?

Calendar shock aside, the weeks really are flying by, but it does seem that every moment these days is filled with lots of exciting opportunities and celebrations. Whether it’s a great show, fabulous fan mail, a CD sale or just another beautiful sunny day, we’ve been having some amazing moments during our crazy musical adventures this spring. Here’s a little recap on the latest fun…

We last wrote about our adventures in the Okanagan (love you Ogopogo!). That trip was followed by a brief stint at home where we joined in on the fun at the Surrey Children’s Festival. This event is still in it’s toddler years on the Canadian children’s fest circuit (< 5 years old), but don’t let that lower your expectations - these folks really know how to run an AMAZING festival! Our thanks and kudos to the wonderful crew, volunteers, students and families that made our 2009 experience such a great one. We were also thrilled to perform on the Leap Frog Stage to sold out crowds…yippee!

The next chapter in our story took us from Surrey to Saskatoon for our debut performances in Saskatchewan! We absolutely fell in love with Saskatoon and the Northern Saskatchewan Children’s Festival! We knew from the moment we arrived at the airport that this was going to be a fun trip. It’s always a good sign when the person (a stranger no less!) responsible for picking you up at the airport greets you with a great big hug! That first gesture of welcome truly set the tone for our entire trip as we quickly realized that we were not just sharing in a much-loved community event, but we were being welcomed into a festival family. This festival will stand out for many reasons, but one of the best things was the 800+ volunteers that commit their time each and every year to making it a superb experience for the kids. We also really felt honoured to be in the talent line-up, particularly given that we were in the company of Canadian legends like Connie Kaldor, up & coming superstars like Splash n’ Boots and inspiring & energetic international talent like Masabo!

The Saskatchewan children’s Festival takes place in picturesque Kiwanis Park on the riverbank.

We left Saskatoon four days and seven shows after our first airport hug with many new friends and heaps of happy memories! Shauna - please have us back!

Backstage with husband & wife duo, Splash n’ Boots. The funny thing is that we (B&L) kind of feel married sometimes too…

The final stop in our Tour Time Warp was the Bowen Island Children’s Country Fair. We actually flew into Vancouver from Saskatoon on the Saturday evening and went straight to the ferry for Bowen Island the next morning. It was a perfect westcoast home-coming celebration as we performed with our full band in the ocean breeze on the event’s outdoor stage. Perfect!

Thanks to all the families that joined us for a day on the island! While the annual event has come and gone this season, we did want to share the promo video that event coordinator, Cam Hayduk, put together. It remains one of our favourite marketing videos to date…be sure to watch out for next year’s festivities!

The pie contest alone was worth the trip to the island - delish!

As we wrap up this blog, we are in the process of getting ready for some Canada Day fun (two shows - Coquitlam & Kitsilano), which will immediately be followed by the CALGARY STAMPEDE! We’ll be heading to Alberta for 35 shows over 10 days…no that isn’t a typo…with a minimum of 3 shows and sometimes 4 or even (gulp!) 5 shows per day. If you’re going to be in the Calgary neighbourhood for the Stampede (Jul 3-12), please join us for some singing & dancing…hoedown style :) Visit us at the Buckaroos Stage, and check out the Calgary Stampede website for more info!

Hope to see you soon!

Bobs & Lolo

P.S. Congratulations to Chuckles, our keyboard player, and his wife Lucy on their new beautiful baby boy! We love you, Samuel!

We’re pretty confident that the Okanagan International Children’s Festival will be the only venue we play where when asked what their favourite animals is, the audience responds with an enthusiastic “OGOPOGO!” For those of you not in the know, Ogopogo is a legendary creature of the Okanagan Lake – the picturesque locale for our most recent road trip. Google “Ogopogo” for a full history of the alleged sightings and stories…crazy stuff!!

We just returned from 4 days in beautiful Penticton - home to the Okanagan Children’s Fest and some of BC’s most beautiful lakeshore, hiking & biking trails galore, award-winning vineyards and Ogopogo, of course.

We loved our trip to Penticton! Although we didn’t spot the Ogopogo ourselves, we did get to celebrate our debut performances in the Okanagan, and we also got to work with a fantabulous team of Festival volunteers and staff. Our thanks to everyone for the warm hospitality and enthusiastic onsite help!

Photo: Stage crew - Matt & Bobbie!

One of the definite highlights of our trip was the Friday night Vaudeville Show. This was essentially a variety night featuring all of the mainstage acts from the festival. We were honoured to share the stage with the likes of Al Simmons, Glenn Singer, Grand Derangement, the Gizmo Guys and many more.

Photo: Backstage at the Vaudeville Show!

Be sure to check out more pics from our Okanagan trip on our Facebook Group or MySpace site.  We’re now jumping into a short run of shows at the Surrey International Children’s Festival (May 28 - 30) before heading off to Saskatoon for the Saskatchewan International Children’s Festival  (Jun 3-6). We’d love to see you at an upcoming show – please visit our events calendar for our full schedule!

Photo: Onstage at the 2009 Okanagan Children’s Fest!

Bobs & Lolo

P.S. Huge hugs to the family that spotted us in the restaurant on our last night in Penticton and picked up our bill! Your generosity was an amazing surprise and very special treat!

Although we had quite a few shows during the month of April, we still managed to squeeze in some sun, sand and surf during our downtime. A huge highlight included a surf lesson on beautiful Cox Bay just outside of Tofino, BC. Playing in the waves was a great way to wrap up our shows on the west coast and celebrate Bobs’ birthday! Special thanks to our hosts at EcoEverything, Weigh West Marina, Wickaninnish Community School and the 1431 Beach Resort for helping make our trip extra special.

A big thank you to Surf Sister for a wonderful day in the water!

We’re now in the process of gearing up for an action packed spring and summer. We hope you can join us for some musical adventures! Below is a list of some of our stops over the upcoming month:

Kerrisdale Community Centre: May 18

Last minute long weekend fun for everyone! Join us on Monday at 1pm for a fun-filled dance fest at the Kerrisdale Community Centre. Check out our new set!  Jump into the kiddie mosh pit! Join in on the crafty stations with sea star popsicle stick puppets and paper plate sea turtles! Super fun-times for the whole family this Victoria Day!
 

Okanagan International Children’s Festival: May 21 – 23

We’re excited about our debut shows in the beautiful lakeside town of Penticton! Next week we will be heading to the interior of BC for the Okanagan International Children’s Festival.  We are honoured to be sharing the same stage as legendary Canadian children’s entertainer Fred Penner as well as a host of other mega-talented performance groups!

Surrey International Children’s Festival: May 28 – 30

We can’t wait to “hop” onto the Leap Frog Stage at the 2009 Surrey International Children’s Festival! Our full band is performing with us, and we guarantee that the amazing musicians lending us their talents for the three-day festivities will have the place rockin’ before the two of us even hit the stage! Be sure to check out the Saturday Family Special – two shows for the price of one!
 

Saskatchewan International Children’s Festival: June 3 – 6

We’re delighted to be a part of the 2009 Saskatchewan International Children’s Festival. We have heard fantastic reviews about this event from both families and other children’s performers, including local superstar Marnie Grey. This will be our first time performing in Saskatoon – we can’t wait! If you’re in the area, please join us for some musical adventures at the Kinder Garden and Knox United Church.

Bowen Island Children’s Festival – June 7

Located in one of our favourite spots, the Bowen Island Children’s Festival is sure to be a highlight of our 2009 event schedule! Just a skip, jump and a hop from the shores of West Vancouver, the island is a perfect day trip destination for families. Join us and our band for all the festival fun…more info coming soon!

We’d love to see you at one of our upcoming shows! Please check out our online event calendar for further details.

Bobs & Lolo

Westcoast children’s entertainers garner further international recognition for their growing collection of award-winning recordings and performances with a pre-2010 GOLD!

Action Packed is the latest album from critically acclaimed children’s performers, Bobs & Lolo, to fall under the international spotlight. Bobs & Lolo are currently celebrating a 2009 Parents’ Choice Gold Award that follows closely on the heels of a 2008 Children’s Music Web Award and a 2009 Canadian Indie Award nomination for Favourite Children’s Artist. Momentum is definitely strong for this Vancouver-based duo!

The Parents’ Choice Awards program honours the best material for children. Less than 15% of the items submitted to the Parents’ Choice Awards program receive a commendation in one of the six award levels: Gold, Silver, Recommended, Approved, Fun Stuff and Classic.

Lynne Heffley, long-time Parents’ Choice music critic and staff writer for 25 years at the Los Angeles Times writes, “Bobs & Lolo, a.k.a. Robyn Hardy and Lorraine Pond, meet a challenge that sinks many would-be children’s artists: presenting frankly good-for-you messages without sounding preachy or patronizing. The duo’s smooth harmonies and frolicsome approach impart refreshing life to original songs…instead of sinking under their own worthy weight, these tuneful tracks float and shimmer like soap bubbles in the sun.” Read the full review here.

To listen to sample songs from the award-winning album, Action Packed, please click here.

Bobs & Lolo use music, movement and make-believe to share stories and experiences that both entertain and educate, while ultimately teaching children to care about themselves, their neighbours and the planet. Their programming places an emphasis on celebrating the values of healthy-living and aims to inspire young audiences with an awareness and appreciation for the world around them. Watch for regular appearances by Bobs & Lolo on the national children’s television network, Treehouse TV!

We are excited to announce the re-packaging of our debut album, Sea Notes (2004) in eco-friendly materials! With modernized CD Digipak aesthetics, the new look features low-plastic construction that scores high on the environmentally-friendly scale. Whoop whoop! The packaging is printed on recyclable Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified stock using vegetable-based inks and waterless printing technology, and the Digipak CD trays are 100% recyclable!

With our growing collection of CDs and expanding multi-media content for children, our goal is to create products that are not only mentally and emotionally healthy for kids, but also physically healthy for our planet. Your ongoing support allows us to continue exploring new initiatives like this great new GREEN look for our Sea Notes CD!

Check out the new look for Sea Notes at one of our upcoming shows or at a retail store near you!

xo
Bobs & Lolo

We are all connected to the natural world regardless of our individual interest in eating granola or hugging trees…not that there’s anything wrong with either, of course! And, we can all do something in our daily lives to help the health of planet Earth. What are you and your family doing today?

Bobs & Lolo’s Top FIVE Happy Earth Activities:

1. Clean-up our oceans, lakes, rivers & streams!
Do the litterbug jive and get involved in your community’s shoreline clean-ups! Having a difficlut time finding a shoreline clean-up to participate in? Create your own! Check out Shoreline Cleanup for more info.

2. R! E! C! Y! C! L! E!
a) Bring a lunch box instead of a paper bag to school.
b) Use washable containers to pack food, instead of plastic baggies that are thrown away.
c) Trade toys that you no longer use with friends.
d) Use both sides of a piece of paper before putting it in the recycle bin.

3. Cleaning Chores that Care!
Be careful of what goes down the drain. Some common household cleaning products are unhealthy for fish, other animals and even ourselves. Host a family science fair and create your own earth-friendly cleaning products. For ideas and recipes click here.

4. Conservation is Key!
We use a lot of water every day - water that other people, plants and animals need too. Make a difference with simple things like turning off lights, computers, TVs and other appliances when you are not using them. And turn off the water tap while brushing your teeth!

5. Green up your home!
Create a family recycling area, plant a garden or build a compost. There are lots of things we can do in our own homes to help build a happy and healthier Earth!

These are just a handful of ideas, but there are lots of other ways to be Earth friendly. Feel free to post your own ideas in the comments section below to share with everyone.

Be sure to join us for some outdoor, musical Earth Day celebrations this coming weekend. We’ll be performing in Vancouver at Everett Crowley Park on Saturday, April 25 (11:30am) and Tofino at the Village Green on Sunday, April 26 (10:30am). For full details, please visit our events calendar.

Cheers to a happy and healthy Earth!

Bobs & Lolo

For the last four years, we have been trying to get involved with ArtStarts in Schools - a program that provides innovative arts programs for young people, practical resources for teachers and leadership in advocating arts in education. As you can imagine, we were absolutely thrilled to be accepted into the 2009/10 touring program!

As we excitedly celebrated this new milestone, we found that just getting accepted into the ArtStarts program is not the biggest hurdle artists face. All approved performers are scheduled for a 12-minute showcase to evaluate the educational and entertainment value of their show for the Artists Directory, and this step proved to be one of our craziest B&L experiences to-date!

Last week our nerves hit an all-time high when we showcased our program at the Roundhouse Performance Centre in Vancouver for a room full of delegates representing schools districts, festivals and community events throughout Western Canada. In the lead-up to the showcase, we succeeded in thoroughly stressing ourselves out by developing new scripts, choreographing new songs, constructing new sets and rehearsals, rehearsals, rehearsals! We do think the hardwork paid off and neglecting a few butterflies (OK - a lot!), we’re pretty happy with what we delivered. Below are a few pics (photo credit: Mike Hawley) from our moment in the ArtStarts spotlight…

Bobs & Lolo during the 2009 ArtStarts Showcase!

Opening song - Action Packed!

The delegates view…

Bobs in action!

Raindrop Pop!

While we didn’t have any major hiccups during our showcase, we were both so nervous that we honestly don’t remember most of the experience. We received a lot of positive comments from the organizers and delegates immediately following our performance, and we will definitely keep you posted on the “official” feedback when the reviews are released at the end of the month.

In the meantime, if you are interested in bringing our music and programming to your community, please don’t hesitate to get in touch. We regularly perform at schools (elementary & preschools), children’s festivals, community fundraisers, performing art centres and a variety of family-oriented events throughout North America. General inquiries for booking information can be sent to Eran Norton at booking@bobsandlolo.com.

Thanks for reading! More soon…;)

It’s been another action packed month for us with lots of live performances and many exciting projects behind-the-scenes. We’d like to start off with a big THANK YOU to all of the superfans who came out to help us sing in the spring during Spring Break at the Vancouver Aquarium. The venue was jam-packed this year and the kiddie mosh pit was definitely the place to be! We loved meeting all of the new faces and connecting with familiar ones too…especially those of you that showed up for not one or two, but three or more shows over the week! If you have any pics that you want to share, send them our way and we’ll post some on our blog and our Facebook page!

Speaking of new faces, we’d like to welcome Green Planet Parties to the B&L family! We had the pleasure of meeting the company’s owners (both named Suzanne!) at the Coquitlam Family Fair. Green Planet Parties offers a great service with their selection of eco-friendly party planning ideas and products. We’re excited that party planning wannabes can now discover our music in the mix of great tips and tools on the Green Planet Parties site!

If you haven’t had a chance to pick-up your own B&L CD or DVD yet, you do have a limited time opportunity to get them for FREE! Soapboxmama is hosting another colossal gift basket giveaway, and we’ve added some goodies to the loot bag. Click on the image below to enter for a chance to win over $800 in prizes!

We hope to see all of you at a live show sometime soon. Be sure to keep an eye on our calendar for full details on all the musical adventures! Upcoming shows include the Kiddies Korner Imagination Fair in Port Coquitlam (April 4), two special family concerts at the Errington Community Hall in support of the Errington Cooperative Preschool (April 5) and the Pedagogy Toy Store’s Anniversary Celebrations in New Westminster (April 11).

If we’re not in your neighbourhood in the near future, keep an ear out for our tunes on Treehouse Radio. The digital radio network, hosted by Max Trax, has just started broadcasting some of the songs from our Action Packed CD as part of their regular programming - be sure to send them some feedback if you like what you hear! You can send in your requests here.

Well, we’d better get back to work! We’re hiding away in rehearsal for the next couple days while we prepare for our ArtStarts in Schools showcase. On Wednesday morning, we’ll be delivering a 12-minute snippet of a show we’ve developed for elementary school-aged audiences. ArtStarts in Schools is a not-for-profit organization offering educators, artists, parents and students a broad range of  programs, services and resources to promote arts and creativity among BC’s young people. We hope to work with the ArtStarts team to share our music and programming with communities throughout BC during the 2009/10 school year. Wish us luck for the showcase (we’re a little nervous!) and check us out in the artist directory at the end of April! www.artstarts.com

Here’s a cute little video that ArtStarts posted on YouTube to wrap up this post:)

Hope to see you soon!

Bobs & Lolo